Since the launch of the DX220 and DX240, ibasso has received a good response. The latest mid-range DS260 has been changed from an interchangeable headphone amp design to a fixed one. It uses 8 Cirrus Logic's industry-renowned CS43198 DAC chips in a matrix configuration, and has good performance in terms of analysis power, reproducibility, dynamic range, and noise floor control.
The DX260 is equipped with the CS43198, Cirrus Logic's flagship DAC chip, which has been used in many devices in the past, but not as many as 8 chips in one go. As a result, the sound of the new machine has excellent performance in all aspects, and the control of various genres is free, and the sound quality is improved, which is obviously different from the previous DX240. In addition, FPGA-Master is a self-developed technology of iBasso, and with the birth of DX260, it has also officially entered 2Version 0, as the audio master, is responsible for signal reorganization, directly requests audio data from the SOC, and can maintain signal stability. It is also equipped with a Japanese NDK femtosecond crystal oscillator, which provides a fully synchronized single clock source for the system, which can greatly reduce the JITTER and build a pure audio system.
Benefit from FPGA-Master 20's new algorithm, which accurately controls the DAC clock and data at the picosecond level and adjusts each DAC to achieve FIR filter output. The DX260 has 3 output modes, including synchronous parallel output, FIR 2X and FIR 4X modes. It is said that the four DACs are connected in parallel and time-sharing, so that the four DACs form a hardware analog FIR filter, which averages the difference between multiple DACs, reducing distortion and improving sound detail and density. What if you don't know what to do? In fact, the system can use fir 2x or fir 4x to pick normal.
The volume knob is equipped with a power on and off function.
Offer 35mm unbalanced and 44mm balanced socket.
There are basic operation buttons.
Built-in 64GB capacity with support for MicroSD card expansion.
The DX260's exterior design is significantly different from its predecessor, the DX240's body is made of aluminum alloy, which makes it look and feel more metallic. The upper right corner of the fuselage has a beveled design, which gives it a better texture to hold in one hand. In terms of processor, it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 with 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM, Android 11 and Mango OS, which feels smooth when running Android, and the APKPure app is pre-installed from the factory, allowing users to install the Google Play Store or other streaming** apps. In the audio options section, there is the aforementioned FIR output mode, as well as 3 levels of gain, high, medium, and low, 5 digital filters, and more. As for the wireless aspect, it has 24GHz 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth bidirectional transmission. In addition, the DX260 has a built-in independent USB receiver chip, and the USB-C interface on the top of the camera can be used by a computer, which can achieve low-latency USB DAC and support ASIO or WASAPI output. It has 35mm unbalanced and 44mm balanced headphone line-out output up to 6vrms output level.
The upper right corner of the fuselage has a beveled design, which gives it a better texture to hold in one hand.
A built-in independent USB receiver chip enables low-latency USB DAC.
It is powered by Android 11 and comes with the APKPure app pre-installed from the factory.
Drop-down menus allow you to set various audio items.
There are 3 levels of gain: high, medium, and low.
It has 3 major FIR output modes.
5 digital filters are available.
Supports Bluetooth DAC and USB DAC functions.
There are a lot of preset EQ sound effects.
EQ customization is also available.
The tuning orientation of the current generation DX260 is actually similar to that of the previous mid-range machines DX220 and DX240, without too much influence of sound coloration, and can present the sound style of the CS43198 decoding chip, and the high-frequency part is more crystal-like crisp. What impressed me most about the DX260 was that the background was so quiet that it made the analytical performance quite good. The details of the vocals and instruments are more prominent, with the aftertaste of CS43198 crystals. The three-dimensional effect is also more pronounced, and the control of the tail tone processing is in place. The vocal flavor is not strong but clear, and the recording reproduction has a fairly high degree of accuracy. Paired with powerful low-frequency headphones such as the Campfire Audio Cascara and Fir Audio Electron 12, the low-frequency energy is more condensed, the rebound speed is fast, and the three-frequency retraction and playback are also relatively refreshing.
When paired with the Campfire Audio Cascara, the low frequencies are noticeably more condensed, bringing out more sonic detail.
If you listen to FIR Audio Electron 12, the analysis of the midrange and high frequencies is very good, and the sound has a three-dimensional effect.
The DX260's background is very calm, with contours and details that accentuate it, and it is very analytical, with the finish and sweetness of CS43198 crystal. It can restore the details that should be recorded in the song, but if the recording is not good, it will also magnify the flaws infinitely without adding any MSG.
A clear rubber sleeve is included with the package.
specifications
DX260 Color: Silver, Black.
Operating system: Android 11
Decoding chip: CS43198 8
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
Screen: 5-inch touchscreen IPS screen (1,920 1,080).
Built-in storage capacity: 64GB
Extended interface: microSD
Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 24GHz 5GHz, Bluetooth 50
Supported formats: MQA, DSD, DXD, FLAC, W**, AIFF, ALAC, APE, WMA, AAC, OGG, etc.
Terminals: 44mm balanced, 35mm unbalanced.
Output power: up to 1,015MW + 1,015MW 32 (balanced MW + 280MW 32 (unbalanced)).
Continuous** time: Approximately 14 hours.
Volume: 123 745 × 17.5mm
Weight: Approx. 229g
Author: Ear Water Swong